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The Sky Gods of Unintended Consequences
Doug Griffin
Of all the delusions we entertain in our lives, both individually and collectively, that we are the “masters of our own destiny” has got to be one of the grandest. It is emboldening to feel we are somehow ‘in control’, ‘in charge’ of the myriad forces and influences that surround and inhabit us but in reality we seem more like high-stakes gamblers than gods, playing a numbers game not fully aware of the odds that, as often as not, are resolutely stacked against us.
Long before ‘rationalism’ convinced us it was able to even up these odds thus moving into the dominant position it now occupies in the modern psyche, an old proverb, originating from not only a different era but also school of thought, suggested a more subtle and unpredictable relationship between mans actions and the consequences of those actions, in other words between causes and their inevitable, if not immediately obvious, effects. It was a clear warning to those who presume superiority and dominion over wild, unruly Nature and attempt to subjugate it to a mere predictable mechanism.
Syrian Chemical Weapons Deal: What Follows?
by Stephen Lendman
It's all over but the beginning. More on that below.
On Friday, Security Council members unanimously adopted Resolution 2118: Security Council Requires Scheduled Destruction of Syria's Chemical Weapons.
Ir rules out military force. It's "fully consistent with the Russian-US Geneva agreements," said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
"This is the result of coordinated efforts of Russia and the United States backed by all members of the UN Security Council and the majority of other states."
New Millennium Resource Wars
by Stephen Lendman
They're ongoing. They represent a modern-day great game. The previous one pit Britain against Tsarist Russia. One powerful empire battled another.
They did so for territory they both wanted. Conflict lasted about 100 years. Post-WW II, East - West struggles vied for geopolitical influence and control.Resources became increasingly more important. They very much are today. World supplies are finite. Major powers scramble for as much as they can control.
Oil is especially valued. No one's sure how much is left. America, China, Russia and other major nations want control over as much as possible. They're going all out to get it.
What We Could Do with a Postal Savings Bank: Infrastructure that Doesn’t Cost Taxpayers a Dime
by Ellen Brown
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is the nation’s second largest civilian employer after WalMart. Although successfully self-funded throughout its long history, it is currently struggling to stay afloat. This is not, as sometimes asserted, because it has been made obsolete by the Internet. In fact the post office has gotten more business from Internet orders than it has lost to electronic email. What has pushed the USPS into insolvency is an oppressive 2006 congressional mandate that it prefund healthcare for its workers 75 years into the future. No other entity, public or private, has the burden of funding multiple generations of employees who have not yet even been born.
The Carper-Coburn bill (S. 1486) is the subject of congressional hearings this week. It threatens to make the situation worse, by eliminating Saturday mail service and door-to-door delivery and laying off more than 100,000 workers over several years.
US/Iranian Foreign Ministers Meet
by Stephen Lendman
On Thursday, they met in New York. They did so on the sidelines of the General Assembly meeting. They held what they called substantive talks.
They were the first in over a generation. Smiles, handshakes, and positive sounding language mean nothing. They can't erase decades of unrelenting US hostility.
Iran remains justifiably cautious. John Kerry said he and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif "had a very constructive meeting.""Needless to say," he added, "one meeting and a change in tone, which was welcome, doesn't answer those questions yet and there is a lot of work to be done."
Deal Reached on Syrian Chemical Weapons
by Stephen Lendman
Give credit where it's deserved. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov earned it. He bested John Kerry. So far at least, he made him eat crow.
The five permanent Security Council members agreed on "binding and enforceable" wording to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons.
Security Council resolution language excludes military force. Russia wants all Syrian conflict issues resolved diplomatically. So far, things are proceeding that way. It remains to be seen what happens going forward. Obama's regime change plans remain firm.
Iran/Syria Bashing
by Stephen Lendman
A previous article called Iran bashing longstanding. It's been ongoing for nearly 35 years. It's unrelenting. Lies substitute for truth and full disclosure.
The same holds for Syria. Assad's defending his country responsibly. He's doing so against foreign invaders. He's wrongfully blamed for Western-enlisted death squad crimes.
It doesn't matter what's true of false. Lying for power is longstanding major media practice.
Iran is wrongfully accused of secretly developing nuclear weapons. No evidence whatever suggests it. Iranian President Hassan Rohani addressed the issue in New York.
Netanyahu Exceeds Sharonian Evil
by Stephen Lendman
His crimes of war and against humanity remain unpunished. His bluster long ago wore thin. He's a world class thug and then some.
Even Israeli insiders and former officials detest him. They do so for good reason. More on that below.
He's heading Israel toward full-blown tyranny and ruin. It's already a fascist police state. He makes more enemies than friends.
He mocks democratic values. He spurns rule of law principles. He enforces occupation harshness. He prioritizes apartheid cruelty.
It exceeds the worst of former South African inhumanity. Observers who know both say so.
Postwar Reconstruction Looms Passing the Torch to a New Generation of Syrians
by FRANKLIN LAMB
Damascus
Few, one imagines, in the Syrian Arab Republic these days question the urgency and enormity of the task of reconstruction of their ancient country from war inflicted destruction caused by a carnage already more than half as long as World War I and approaching half as long as World War II.
For this ten millennium civilization and its thousands of priceless treasures, many partially destroyed, emergency efforts are needed today to preserve and protect the structures from thieves and war damage. Not many here would disagree with this priority of the Syrian government.
Historic sites damages or in danger include several among those listed on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List registry including the Ancient City of Aleppo (1986), Ancient City of Bosra (1980),Ancient City of Damascus(1979),ncient Villages of Northern SyriaA (2011),Crac des Chevaliers and Qal’at Salah El-Din (2006) and the Site of Palmyra (1980). Centuries-old markets and archaeological treasures have already been gutted by flames and gunfire in places like Aleppo and Homs.
Pakistan: Darkness Renewed and the Examination of Collective Consciousness
Mahboob A. Khawaja
Pakistan is fast becoming a deadly theatre of the absurd, people and the nation trading-in collective consciousness of unknown hatred, ethnic flare-ups, flourishing greed of money to kill and be happy and political vindictiveness. On September 22, another outrageous attack at a church – a place to worship God in Peshawar killing 85 or so innocent citizens of the minority Christian community. Few weeks earlier, 10 international hiker tourists were kidnapped and massacred in the K-2 mountainous region. Few months earlier, Muslims of Shia minority were repeatedly bombed in Quetta. The mourners kept the dead bodies burial on display for days as a token of protest asking for military to safeguard their lives from in-house terrorism. There is no rational sense to make out of these cruel developments. The global image of Pakistan and its political governance is under scrutiny. The scope of cruelty and viciousness is enlarged every day as every day becomes a killing day of the innocent.
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